Bennett Freehill is thrilled that South West College has been recognised by the Queen for it’s pioneering work in environmental sustainability and providing training for the employment of young people in a low-carbon green economy.
Bennett Freehill were M&E consultants and Passivhaus Advisors on the new £34m SWC Erne Campus which opened in September last year – and is a legacy to the late Gary Bennett.
Managing Director Cormac Freehill said:
Gary’s vision for the campus was truly visionary. 8 years ago he was setting standards for sustainability that exceeded compliance or convention. That drive to be at the forefront with innovative, practical sustainable solutions remains at the core of the business. Gary and the wider team shaped the engineering strategy for the campus and provided specialist advice on the integration of environmentally-friendly technologies. Already the campus is being used as an exemplar in sustainable design.
The new Erne Campus is the world’s first educational and currently the largest – Passivhaus Premium (PHP) rated building. It is the first UK building to achieve both PHP status and BREEAM Outstanding accreditations and has also been recognised as one of 26 UN Centres of Excellence for High Performance Buildings around the world.
Interim principal and chief executive of South West College Colin Lewis said:
Renewable energy and sustainability have been at the forefront of College delivery for several years, both in terms of the curriculum we offer to students and our own construction and fit out practices.
The Queens Anniversary Prizes are the highest national honour available to universities and FE colleges across the UK, and celebrate excellence and innovation.
Bennett Freehill is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading Building Services and Sustainability Engineering Consultancies providing sustainable, multi-disciplined design services. We are qualified Passivhaus and NZEB Designers and provide Commissioning Management and BREEAM Assessments services.
